Algonkian Author Salon Reviews

The reviews, comments and success stories noted below by writers,
authors, and agents who have attended workshops and events held by
Algonkian Writer Conferences are a representative sample of the total
positive responses. All of the material is the result of various
articles, interviews, comments made in Internet forums, as well as mails
sent to us. NOTE: we do not simply list writers who have
been published following attendance at our events unless we have
received a communication from them advising us of the connection.

Robin Stewart's techno-thriller, "Kill Signal,"
was pitched at the March 2016 and soon signed by Talcott Notch
Agency--represented at the New York Pitch event by agent Paula Munier.
The ms is now undergoing edits with Algonkian staff. Congrats to Robin.
This thriller is going to be a bestseller, we're certain! We love you
Robin!!!

From Publishers Marketplace:
Sandi Ward's "The Astonishing Thing" pitched as "The Art of Racing in
the Rain" meets "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" to
John Scognamiglio at Kensington, in a two-book deal, by Stacy Testa at
Writers House. Congrats you old pitch conference! [more by Sandi]

Amanda
Greenfield says, "Because of your conference I had 2 editors, one being
Tessa Woodward, ask for my MS and/or pages and another forward my info
to one of her associate editors at St. Martins. I was able to cross
reference that with information on Publishers Marketplace and sent a
query to an agent that worked with Tessa Woodward at Harper Collins. I
sent her the first 50 pages and she was really excited about my work.
She read the rest of it the next day and immediately sent me a contract.
[more]

Roger Johns, an alumnus of the September 2015 New York Pitch Conference,
wrote and told us: "Just wanted to let you know that Paula Munier, my
group leader from the conference, took me on as a client and negotiated a
deal for my book - DARK RIVER - with St. Martins. Announced tonight on
Publishers Marketplace. Thanks for a wonderful experience. The
conference was superb. I'm spreading the word among my critique groups
in Atlanta."

Algonkian
alums Tracee Hahn (on left) and Britt Tisdale (right) signed recent
contracts as a result of attendance at the New York Pitch Conference.
Tracee's novel, SWISS VENDETTA, was edited and sold by Algonkian NYC
agent faculty to Elizabeth Lacks at St. Martins. Britt's women's fiction
novel, DAUGHTERS OF ROSA LA ROUGE, found home with Marsal Lyon Literary
Agency: "I re-vamped my pitch, also revised the book to reflect new
emphasis. 18 agents requested the ms..." [more]

At last count, an estimated 51 total manuscripts are currently in the process of being reviewed by publishing house editors.
More than 63% of total ms presented and discussed at length at our
last events were requested, and 75% of all ms requested were requested
by more than one editor. This high percentage is a result of intelligent
project screening, great projects, attentive editors, and liberal
applications of superb pitch craft.

"My
novel was requested by four of the five editors I pitched. Tessa
Woodward at Harper Collins quickly made an offer for it, and Paula
Munier, who had read my first page at the conference, represented me to
negotiate a contract. After getting Tessa's notes, I am now working on a
significant re-write that will expand and improve my novel more than I
ever could have on my own."

275
queries later, I attended the New York Pitch and by lunch of the first
day I knew exactly why my novel had failed. By the end of the day, I had
changed the title, made editorial changes to the story, and later, when
time came to query, I employed the strategy recommended at the
conference: research agents on Publisher's Marketplace and use the
editors from the conference who requested manuscripts as leverage.
Within one hour I received an email requesting a full manuscript from an
agent at Trident Media. Six days later I received another email about
my novel, THE ENIGMATOLOGIST, and requesting to discuss representation.
Using what I learned at the conference, I was able to do in what week
what I couldn't do in three years. I'm absolutely convinced that
everything I learned at the conference is responsible for my success.

- Benjamin Adams, signed by Trident Media Agency

Cate
Holahan's DARK TURNS pitched at the NYC in Paula Munier's NYC
mystery/thriller workshop and sold to Matt Martz at Crooked Lane, the
new crime fiction imprint of Bookspan--two book deal. Publication set
for 2015. Paula Munier, NYC faculty, representing Cate and DARK TURNS.